Two MTEC students recently presented their work on campus garnering attention from students, faculty, and visitors.

 

Albraa Alsaati presented his work on "Energy Efficient Membrane Distillation through Localized Heating" at the AEESP Distinguished Lecturer Conference poster session. 

Despite the advantages of MD, the commercialization of the technology is constrained by high energy consumption due to heating the bulk of feed water. Alternatively, we evaluated a new MD configuration, locally heated membrane distillation (LHMD), that reduces energy requirement per unit mass of distilled fluid. Specifically, fluid heating is localized to the region of the fluid in close contact with the membrane reducing ambient thermal losses. Compared to heating the bulk feed water, localized heating can reduce energy consumption to reach same temperature near the membrane due to the reduced effective thermal mass and elimination of the feed re-circulation power consumption. Additionally, membrane structural reliability increases due to reduction of feed circulation erosion and hydrodynamic pressure. Localized heating at membrane interface with liquid allows membrane distillation method to be used in miniature and modular design to fit wider range of pervaporation application in addition to water treatment.

 

Jaesik Hahn presented his work on "Thermal Characterization of Human Hair to Predictive Modeling of Flat Ironing Results" at the ME Sandbox Seminar Series this semester:

While manipulation of hair shape using heat appliances such as a flat iron is a common practice, little is known about how heat spreads through hair and damages it. In this talk, the ongoing efforts to study the effects of heat on hair from the perspective of mechanical engineering are presented. The study starts by characterizing thermal properties of hair. The result provides the foundation for development of a model that describes heat transfer between a hair bundle and flat iron. The study culminates by establishing a model which correlates the amount of heat damage with various flat ironing conditions.